1918 Colt 1911 AA Rebuild- HELP!

[labelkills254]

Good Evening,

 

I apologize if I am posting this incorrectly. I have the opportunity to purchase the below Augusta Arsenal rebuilt Colt 1911 built in 1918. This would be my first purchase and since this just kind of popped up I haven't been able to do my proper research. I am hoping for some advice. The asking price is $1500. These are the pictures i have access too, obviously it doesn't show everything, but if you guys could provide your advice or guidance that would be appreciated. Thank you.

[labelkills254]

A few more pictures.

[Dogface72]

Looks re parkerized. Does the slide match the frame by manufacturer? Any US inspection/ordinance marks? If no, then it's a 700.00 -900.00 gun. If all matching, non repark, closer to 2K. Hard to tell.

[everforward]

I think it's all good... I have one of these.

 

Other than the magazine looking tired, it all looks okay to me. This pistol was brushed-blue to begin with so the parking on this gun is the 2nd finish, but original to it's refurb at AA. All of the small parts are WW1 Colt vintage, and even the barrel may be a refin from WW1 (mine has a WW1-proofed Colt barrel that was parkerized).

 

The wood grips are okay too, and were used up to a point if they met a re-usable standard. Mine has WW2-era plastic grips.

 

Here is a pic of mine, nearly un-fired from the refurb at AA and sold thru the NRA in 1961 with all of its original paperwork. Note that mine has a re-parked lanyard loop mag in it....from Springfield Armory (!)

 

Value-wise, it's in the ballpark.....these arsenal guns have their own history, and some bring a premium over others. Condition/box/papers will put them up there at different levels, but I think you have a nice example there.

[thorin6]

It most likely has a WWII barrel; I can't see any P over H or intertwined PH that would be correct for that serial number 49XXXX (late 1918 Colt frame). As noted, all the small parts appear to be WWI vintage, the sights haven't been changed, the Colt slide would match the Colt frame (not sure if they are original to each other, but at least of the same vintage and manufacturer), and the overall parkerization is nice. I wouldn't worry about the mag, as a period piece it fits fine.

Overall I would say the value is around $1200 in my neck of the woods (Southeast); $1500 seems high, but might be in line with your area. Even if you overpay by a little, you may not get the chance to acquire another one for some time. You might go look on Gunbroker to see what they have and the asking prices; just be aware that asking price and selling prices are not the same.

[El Bibliotecario]

I saw a similar pistol in a unit arms rack during the 1970s. The only reason I spotted it was the lack of the dished out clearance cut behind the trigger on the left side of the frame. I didn't know anything about rebuild markings at the time, but the pistol had been parkerized and all visible bits and pieces such as grip safety, mainspring housing, grips, etc, replaced with M1911A1 parts. I would consider the possibility that a post-military owner replaced any M1911A1 parts installed on this pistol during its rebuild with M1911 parts to make it 'correct,' The grips in particular are too nice to be credible.

 

I'm not badmouthing the pistol, I have little patience with the business of removing legitimate arsenal upgrades and replaced parts to make a weapon 'correct.' I'd guess that 90% of WW2 or earlier weapons were rebuilt at least once and I personally consider them historically accurate.

 

My long memory precludes me from commenting on the price; my first M1911A1 cost me something like $50 or $60.

[everforward]

I saw a similar pistol in a unit arms rack during the 1970s. The only reason I spotted it was the lack of the dished out clearance cut behind the trigger on the left side of the frame. I didn't know anything about rebuild markings at the time, but the pistol had been parkerized and all visible bits and pieces such as grip safety, mainspring housing, grips, etc, replaced with M1911A1 parts. I would consider the possibility that a post-military owner replaced any M1911A1 parts installed on this pistol during its rebuild with M1911 parts to make it 'correct,' The grips in particular are too nice to be credible.

 

I'm not badmouthing the pistol, I have little patience with the business of removing legitimate arsenal upgrades and replaced parts to make a weapon 'correct.' I'd guess that 90% of WW2 or earlier weapons were rebuilt at least once and I personally consider them historically accurate.

 

My long memory precludes me from commenting on the price; my first M1911A1 cost me something like $50 or $60.

It wasn't always the case that small parts on the pistol were upgraded to the latest revisions, my own AA refurbed pistol which was sold out of DoD storage to its civilian owner via the NRA is evidence of that. It is entirely WW1 production save for the WW2 grips. They did in many cases upgrade an older pistol with A1 small parts when refurbished, but it wasn't an absolute to be followed.

[kilgarvan]

I'm in New York....I'd buy it for that price....